Late Goals Lift Trine Past Anderson

The Anderson University men's soccer team fell after a hard-fought battle with the Trine University Thunder on Saturday. The match, which took place at Macholtz Stadium, ended in a 2-0 loss for the Ravens.

First half action saw a close battle from both sides, with the Ravens (3-6) looking for breakaways versus the Thunder (5-3) playing defensively and looking for a gap. The Thunder took the first shot of the game, which was saved by Ravens goalkeeper Josh Brown (Thompson's Station, Tenn. / Columbia Academy). From that point, the Ravens fired off five shots between the 11th and the 26th minute. Stephen Fite's (Cincinnati, Ohio / Homeschool) shot in the 13th minute was the only one on frame, going towards the bottom right, but was saved by Thunder goalkeeper Luis Rodriguez. The half ended with Trine taking three opportunities, Josh Brown was able to make two saves out of the three shots during that period.

Coming out of halftime, tied 0-0, a physical battle ensued between the two sides. During the entire 90 minutes of play, a total of 32 fouls were called between the Ravens and Thunder. Both sides continued to take their chances at getting a goal, but struggled to get the ball on frame. In the 76th minute, an unfortunate foul by the Ravens inside the penalty box resulted in a penalty kick for the Thunder. Tyler Murphy capitalized on the opportunity and gave Trine a 1-0 lead over Anderson. Just two minutes later, Tyler Murphy scored once again, this time off a Brian Morris assist from a free kick. The Ravens were unable to get back in the game, and as the final whistle blew, fell 2-0 to the Thunder.

"Well, we played well for 75 minutes; unfortunately, there are 90 minutes in our game," Coach Scott Fridley said. "I was very pleased with how we played. Their keeper made a ridiculous save in the first half that would have put us up 1-0. They are well coached and calm and patient. We want to keep playing these excellent teams, but we need a little good luck to fall our way. We continue to get better but keep making minor mistakes that hurt us. [Saturday], the tale of the turn was us having 18 fouls. I can't remember that happening in years. That didn't help us in the second half."

Anderson had seven shots in the game. Leading the way was Stephen Fite with three. Drew Vaughn (Beavercreek, Ohio / Beavercreek), Victor Silva (Paramount, Calif. / St. Matthias Catholic), Grant Conklin (Lewisburg, Ohio / Troy Christian), and Cameron Knox (Pinnacle, N.C. / West Stokes) each had one shot. Josh Brown earned his first career start, making four saves for the Ravens. Dalton Grubbs (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) led the Ravens with two steals.

Saturday's game marked the final game of the non-conference season for the Anderson Ravens. They now turn their focus toward Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play as the travel south to take on the Pioneers of Transylvania University (2-3-1, 0-0). Kickoff is set for 7PM in Lexington, Ky.

"We will keep plugging away and getting better. I look forward to us trying to make a deep run in our conference play."